The Legend of Zelda: Dark Ages
by Aijoran
Summary: Ganondorf has returned to the land of Hyrule. He’s taken control and has become king! With a law that all boys in green garb are to be killed what will happen to our hero of time! Rated T for slight ever so slight gore. If you can't handle it sorry.


_Plot Summary: Ganondorf has returned to the land of Hyrule. He's taken control and has become king! With a law that all boys in green garb are to be killed what will happen to our hero of time!_

_AN: Hey there readers! This fic was a very random inspiration while playing Wind Waker and I ended up putting a lot of work into the planning of this storyline and if you don't like It please don't flame me. But if you have some constructive criticism I would love to hear it! The Map layout and world this story will take place in is original and has nothing to do with any existing games but it stems mostly from Ocarina of time._

_You don't have to review, just enjoy. Although I would love any input you have to offer._

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**The Legend of Zelda: Dark Ages**

The glasses clinked against one another as the group celebrated, the evil Ganondorf had been defeated by the hero of time, Link. The king, Link and the Princess Zelda were celebrating happily that the kingdom of Hyrule was safe and peaceful once more.

"Link," the king smiled, "How can we ever thank you for your boundless courage in the face of such evil. The whole kingdom is in your debt. What have you to say for yourself my lad?"

The young man chuckled lowly; he was proud of himself and didn't want to boast too much. "I just did what I thought anyone else would do sir." was his humble response.

"Oh father you know he's much to sincere to boast like you are." The princess teased while laughing.

"I should say!" The king exclaimed as if hurt, "You're my daughter you're supposed to be on my side." He laughed in exclamation. The three joined into a hearty laugh as joy spread through the once dark halls of the castle where Gannon had been.

Suddenly the room grew dark and fell to a hush. The only sound was their deep breathing. Link reached for his sword slowly, defensively to protect the two beside him. Something was coming, something bad. The hero could sense its approach. He knew it was evil and he wished he still held the Master Sword -the sword of evil's bane- after Ganondorf's defeat he had returned it to it's rightful place in the temple of time where it belonged. Link cursed lowly to himself wishing he had held onto it a little longer, the presence approaching felt evil although he swore he would do whatever he could to protect Zelda and the King.

There was a gasp in the room as the air shifted, the candles flickered and behind the king stood what no one would believe. Gannon was there with a sword to his hostage's neck, a menacing grin on his face. King Hyrule didn't get a chance to breathe as his blood was spilled onto the floor. Gannon chuckled as he held the king's severed head in his hand gravity pulling his dead body down.

The princess shrieked in terror as the scene played through her mind a million times in slow motion a silent torture.

Link growled in anger, not only at his enemy but at himself as well. The hero threw himself into Gannon, rage escaping his every pore. Ganondorf easily with one hand wielded his blade to defend against the attack. "You are so easy to read young man." the dark sorcerer chuckled looking down into the Hylian's eyes. "Surprised to see me so soon?" He mocked.

The hero stayed strong and forced his weight onto Gannon behind his ordinary sword, his useless blade. He groaned to himself wishing, praying there was a way out of this, a way to get the Master Sword; he knew from experience that this foe was impossible to beat without it. Link held Ganondorf there locked in battle eye to eye sword to sword.

The princess watched helplessly at the scene playing in front of her eyes. Time and time again she attempted to get hold of her fleeting emotions. '_We have to get out of here._' She frantically thought. Zelda threw herself into the doors, "Link! Hurry! We have to get out of here!" She begged pushing the doors open with all the force she could muster.

Link understood Zelda's plan and thanked her mentally for the easy escape route. Now he had to get out of his lock with Ganondorf. It was beginning to strain his legs, the way Gannon pressed down on him. He was much heavy and stronger then himself. The hero had to think fast; he stopped pushing against him and rolled underneath his foe's legs.

Gannon continued to press forward and began to fall. He growled as he caught himself and turned to catch Link, though the hero was already out the door behind Princess Zelda.

The sorcerer was angry but he didn't let it show. It was just another step in his master plan. He let the two flee as he laughed, waiting for the storm to roll in.

Zelda, now led by Link ran out of the castle and toward the temple. If they could just get to the Master Sword there would be a chance. It was their only hope.

Dark clouds began to fill the sky and rain began to pour down adding weight to their clothes. Their movements becoming more sluggish taking more effort then they normally should. The duo refused to give up and they pressed on.

At last they reached the temple of time and their hearts were in their throats ready to burst with joy and hope, ready to find their salvation and escape from the evil reign of Ganondorf. Their hearts sunk into the pits of their stomachs with the sight they beheld in front of them.

The temple was in ruins, the beautiful strong stone ceiling crashed into itself. The stain glass windows shattered. The stone walls broken and crumbled, a jigsaw puzzle, impossible to repair.

Zelda felt like someone had punched her in the stomache. The air escaped from her lungs and refused to return. She fell to her knees in terror. '_It's impossible. It's impossible now, we'll never defeat him._' Her thoughts rushed in and out of her mind far too quickly for her to hold onto one for more then a moment.

Link couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. He tried to convince himself it was a terrible nightmare and wished he would finally wake up. But he wouldn't, because this wasn't a dream, it wasn't a nightmare. It was real and he couldn't escape it. Ganondorf had won. Link had to stay true to his promise; he would protect Zelda with his life. "Zelda, we have to hide." He told her quietly.

"What?" she asked breathlessly, her mind now focusing on his voice to keep its composure.

"If we don't Gannon will find us and get his hands on the Triforce." The hero explained using logic on the bearer of the Triforce of wisdom.

Zelda nodded knowing that what Link said was true. If Ganondorf got his hands on the completed Triforce their land would be doomed. If they could at least hide it from him they could pave the way for the future.

Gannon struggled to find the pair. It angered him greatly. The happy, unaware inhabitants of Hyrule sickened him, with their traditions of 'dressing young boys in green garb'. He would put an end to it. A law was passed, "Any boy dressed in green garb will be killed on the spot." it was announced through the land but no one heeded the warning at first, but Ganondorf was not a liar.

One sunny day a boy dawned his green clothes for the first time. He was ecstatic, and excited, for years he idolized his friend Link and now he was old enough to wear the green garb of the hero as well. Ganondorf saw the young boy and his face grew dark. Without warning the evil ruler cut the boy in two.

Spectators gasped in shock, the boy was barely twelve years old; he had never done anything wrong. Although Gannon cared nothing for the people's protests, he simply walked away with one sentence, "May that be a lesson to you all."

----------------------------- 60 Years Later -------------------------------------

"Grandpa! Tell me a story." A young girl begged her blonde waist length hair bobbing with her bouncing excited movements.

The old man, white with old age sighed, "No, Lini. I'm too tired." he sighed looking out the window into the dark pouring rain.

The girl pouted, "But you promised me." She tried to coax out of him.

"Lini, how old are you?" He asked

"Thirteen." She answered wondering where he was going with the question.

"Thirteen years and you're still not tired of my old stories?" He asked with a chuckle.

"No. Not at all! You can even tell me an especially old one and I'll love it." She assured him.

The old man shook his head; he stayed strong, "Not tonight. Why don't you just tell me one if you want to hear it so badly? I'm sure you know it well enough."

Lini didn't expect this response, she wasn't sure if she really could tell a story the way her grandpa did, the way he told them it was as if he was really there and speaking from experience. "I guess I could try." She decided.

The white-haired man leaned back in his sitting chair almost excited to hear how his granddaughter would retell his tall tales.

"Once there was a beautiful princess named Zelda." the young girl began, "Her father ruled all over Hyrule, he was a good King and he listened to all the people trying to make the land better and better." She stopped a moment, "Am I getting it right grandpa?" The man nodded in acknowledgment, so she continued. "The Princess was especially nice, every day she would go into the temple of time and pray to the goddesses, Din, Farore and Nayru so that every person can have a long and happy life."

Soon the two were wrapped up into the story, it became it's own life and took over them. The courageous acts of the hero of time, traveling across the land to rescue the princess and defeat the evil Ganondorf.

"And then Zelda shot an arrow as bright as the sun right into the evil Gannon, the hero then swept in with the Master Sword, sending him away never to be seen again." The girl took a deep breath calming down; her excitement rose with the climax of the story.

"You told it well." her grandfather complimented.

Lini smiled, "Thank you Grandpa"

Grandpa stretched and looked out into the inky black night, "You've been up long enough. It's time for you to get to bed."

Much more agreeably this time, Lini lie down in her bed and closed her eyes, excited for what the next day should bring her.

"Lini." her grandfather's voice came through the blackness of her dreamless sleep. "Lini. Wake up. It's your birthday remember?" The girl groggily, slowly returned to consciousness.

"Birthday?"

"Oh, good you forgot I can hold this present until next year."

Lini shot up and gasped, "NO! NO I remember Let me see grandpa!"

The old man chuckled at the young girl's reaction. "Well then. I suppose I should give it to you." he then reached forward and handed a small box to his granddaughter.

"I wonder what it is." She thought out loud as she opened it. Inside there was a cool marble surface. It was rounded and looked like a potato. Lini lifted it out of the box and realized it was an ocarina. "What a pretty Ocarina." the instrument was smooth and was white with a blue tint in its hues.

"Yes, I've had that particular ocarina for many years. A dear friend gave it to me. So take good care of it. Alright Lini?" Grandpa admitted with a smile as he watched her admire his gift.

"Of course Grandpa. Thank you!" She smiled as she carefully brought it to her lips to test the sound.

The notes flowed from the ocarina like magic. It filled her heart with courage and peace. It felt good to play. "Grandpa! Do you know any songs?" Lini asked excitedly, "Teach me please!"

The man chuckled lightly and took the ocarina, "I guess I can't give it to you without a song can I." he thought a moment, "This one is good, it's my personal favorite." He admitted as he began to play a song. The notes started slow and melancholy but then quickened and felt as if the sound would echo onto forever.

Lini was in awe at the perfection of sound the instrument emitted. It felt magical and ancient. She loved it and was pleased to know it was her own. She took the ocarina back with another thanks and left outside.

The daylight sky was dark and cloudy with Ganondorf's reign. Grandpa had told Lini many times of how Hyrule used to be, the way the sun used to shine and the way people used to go outside and even smiled. It made Lini rather sad to hear that and see the sorry state the world was in now. People were afraid to leave their homes the sun never came out. It was as if the world was slowly decaying and dieing.

She needed to be alone to think, so she went to her favorite place. The temple of time's ruins. Something about it she loved, the way the crumbled walls fell in a way that told the story of it's destruction. Every time she came, Lini would try to decipher exactly what had happened. She knew she would never really know the truth but it was still fun to speculate.

The wind blew lightly brushing her golden strands across her face. Lini perched herself onto a fallen pillar and pulled out her birthday present. "I guess I'll practice that song Grandpa taught me."

Lini brought the beautiful marble instrument to her lips and began to play. She closed her eyes visualizing the notes her grandfather showed her. She played it loudly; softly, she let the temple carry it out and over the horizon, over time and space.

Suddenly the ground shook and there was the sound of rocks moving, "What the!" She gripped onto her sitting place to keep her balance. To her right the soil beside her began to turn and revealed a door that led down.

Lini was in shock, "What is that." she hopped down and opened the door and explored inside. The passageway was made of the same stone as the temple that was above, "This is amazing!" she said in awe as she traveled down the pathway into a circular room. In this room there was a pedestal and a broken sword next to it. The stone was worn and difficult to read.

"_The hero ----- is on cataclysm's eve,_

_Wins ---------- symbols ----_

_------- sword ---- will retrieve,_

_Keeping ----------line true._"

Lini furrowed her brow lightly in confusion. "What does this mean? I can't read it all." She sighed lightly and stepped over to the sword. "This must be the sword that thing was talking about"

The blade was incredibly strong looking, it seemed as if it were impossible for it to have been broken. But it was, it was shattered in two lying on the ground. A symbol of what Hyrule had become.

The young girl turned toward the exit, "I need to show this to Grandpa!" she thought frantically rushing out and up.

Once outside she closed the secret door and covered it with sand to hide it, no one else would find this place while she was gone. Once the entrance was adequately hidden she rushed back to the town and toward her house.

Unfortunately before she made it home a rough looking boy stopped her. His expression was sour as if he never had a good day in his life. "Hello little Lini." He greeted sarcastically.

"Hello Zelpher. What do I owe to this honor?" She responded just as sarcastically.

"Oh nothing little princess. I just heard it was your birthday." A smug, know-it-all type grin grew onto his face, "What did the old man scrounge up for you?"

"Don't talk about my grandpa like that." Lini growled.

"Hey, hey, hey" Zelpher attempted to placate her, "I wasn't trying to be rude, just curious." He obviously lied.

"If you **must** know." Lini sighed, "He gave me an ocarina."

"How quaint." the bully laughed, "You gonna start writing your own lullabies and baking cakes now?"

Lini controlled her frustration and walked around him, "If you were just going to tease me you shouldn't have asked!" She picked up her pace and started to run.

Zelpher didn't attempt to fallow her; he just watched her leave, his normal scowl returning to his face.

Once Lini reached home she rushed in and closed the door behind her protectively.

"Bad day?" her grandfather guessed. He was sitting in his chair next to the fire, a pot of food cooking over the open flames.

"You could say that." Lini gave before remembering what she had found, "Grandpa! I found something amazing. I was sitting by the ruins of the temple and I was practicing that song you taught me-"

Her grandfather cut her off, "You what!"

"I found something amazing! There was a rock with words in it and a sword broken in two!" she continued to explain.

"That really is something." The man said slowly, his eyes losing focus. He looked straight on his mind more alert then his old eyes.

"You have to see it Grandpa." Lini pleaded.

The old man nodded, "Alright. After we eat, I will go with you to see what you discovered."

The girl was excited, she ate faster then she normally would have and her grandfather noticed this. He couldn't refuse it he was excited as well.

Once the two were finished she opened the door for her grandpa and led him to the temple of time. When they arrived she uncovered the passageway she had found earlier and opened it. Lini walked first helping her grandpa along the long corridor.

The elder man was shocked into silence at the sight. Never in a million years, even if he lived to be one hundred and fifty would he dream to see it.

"Over here is the sword." Lini explained leading him to the shattered sword.

The grandpa's breath was caught in his throat. With care he slowly picked up the broken blade by it's handle. In his mind he was using it in battle and being the hero of legends. Perhaps a childish fantasy but he gave in to the whim.

"What you think of it Grandpa?" Lini asked breaking him from his daydream.

He shook his head and thought looking at the blade, "A copy." he told her solemnly. "But it would be good to protect ourselves if we were to get it fixed."

The girl nodded sadly, she had hoped it was the real thing but it was too bad. Her grandpa was right though; a counterfeit sword with a real blade was still better protection then no sword at all.

The old man picked up the two pieces and put them into an old sheath he had brought along, thankfully, this sword was the same size. "Lini I can't leave you here alone."

"What?"

"We're going to Death Mountain. To talk to the Gorons that live there. They know a lot about swords and could easily repair this one." He explained.

"That's crazy Grandpa! You're too old to play adventurer! We should just leave it here." She tried to persuade him.

"Staying here and doing nothing is crazy Lini." The old man replied, "For more then sixty years I've lived, watching the world decay more and more. It's dying in front of my eyes. I can't help but do something!"

"But Grandpa you're an old man what can you do?"

Grandpa ignored her words, "You're coming with me and that's that."

Lini sighed lightly; she didn't want to be involved in her grandfather's search for excitement or whatever this was going to be. But she worried for him and couldn't let him go by himself. The young girl felt like she had no other choice then to give in and go with him.

And so the two packed up their most important things and left the city without a word. Into the unknown, into adventure.

It seemed Grandpa knew exactly where he was going and it made Lini a bit suspicious, "Grandpa have you been to Death Mountain before?" she asked while they walked a large volcano like mountain loomed in the distance.

It took a moment for him to reply, "Once, when I was younger." He told her.

"Oh, alright." Lini said allowing the subject to drop, her grandpa had a long life of course he'd travel during one part or another.

Within a day the two reached the foot of the mountain, it was hot and dust filled the thick air. "Are we really going up there Grandpa?" Lini couldn't help but ask one more time."

"Of course we are." Was her grandpa's short reply.

Lini sighed as she took her grandfather's arm and helped him up the steep slope. The higher they climbed up the mountain the hotter it got. It was as if they were digging into the center of the earth rather then climbing up toward the sky.

The two climbed and climbed and soon they could no longer see the ground they were so high up, "Grandpa!" Lini asked exasperated, "How much higher does this thing go?"

"Not much more." He assured her as he pressed himself harder, forcing himself to climb to the peak.

Just then the ground began to rumble and shake knocking the old man onto his posterior, "Gah!" he exclaimed in surprise.

Lini rushed toward him to help, but she couldn't move very fast, the rumbling rocks beneath her shaking violently. "Grandpa hold on!" she called to him. The mountain began to break apart and rocks started to fall from overhead.

"It's erupting" The older man informed, "watch out for where the rocks are coming from!" he warned.

"Worry about yourself!" Lini shrieked afraid for her grandfather.

The rocks began poring down, flying at high speeds, it seemed as if they were aiming for the lone travelers. Lini did her best to dodge them, ducking and rolling. She continued to worry about her grandpa because he couldn't move like she could. Quickly, she stole a glance at him to check on him. Lini gasped when she saw a rock heading right for him. "GRANDPA!!" She screamed to him, "RUN!!"

The old man looked up to see the rock heading for him. He was old but he could still move out of the way. He dodged the one, and Lini sighed with relief. He moved over to her as fast as he could and reached for her hand to help lift her off of the ground. "Quickly Lini we have to move."

"But Grandpa!" She begged beginning to sob.

"Don't cry Lini we will be alright." He assured her. "Go on ahead of me. I'll help you dodge the boulders." Lini nodded reluctantly giving in to his plan.

The two continued to go up the mountain, much more slowly dodging the rocks that flew their way. Suddenly Her grandfather called out, "Lini Move!" She gasped as her body was thrust forward without her permission.

The rocky ground hurt as she hit, the wind was knocked out of her. "Ugh…Grandpa." She asked looking back and she gasped at the sight. "Grandpa Link!"

The old man was pinned beneath a large boulder, his legs and half of his stomach were completely covered. "Lini." He coughed trying to breathe.

"Noooo Grandpa link you can't…. no!" She fretted, "I told you we shouldn't come, I said-"

Link's raspy voice cut her off, "Lini. Don't worry. Take the sword and go up the mountain." he instructed her.

"No… it's not important. You shouldn't have to die for this!"

"I never did tell you the hero's name."

"What! This isn't the time for that Grandpa!" Lini begged, "Please I'll go get help. You have to hang on!"

"Link…" he said as he began to depart, "The hero… I failed."

"Grandpa…" Lini asked shocked. "No… you can't be." her lip quivered.

"Take the sword. It's our only hope. The… Master Sword." The old man coughed and choked on his last words, the warning to his successor.

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_Yea and that's all for the first Chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger guys. I really hoped you enjoyed this! ^.^ Like I said before any constructive crit. Is loved. And if you'll flame I will ignore. 3_


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